sup][33] To enroll, the pain intensity rating (average in the last 24 h) had to be a VAS pain score of 3/10 or higher, or opioid was required for cancer-related pain control and the VAS pain score of lower than 6/10 if already optimized on opioids.

Many patients who die of cancer receive no or delayed prescriptions for strong opioid medicationsthe recommended treatment for cancer-related pain, reports a study in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

Although fentanyl is available as a prescription medication for treating severe pain, including cancer-related pain, the current epidemic of synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths largely involves illicitly manufactured fentanyl that is mixed with or sold as heroin (1,3).

However, it is important to note, that GW Pharma's Sativex[R] a cannabis extract containing 1:1 ratios of THC: CBD (that is delivered via oromucosal spray) has been approved outside the US as a treatment for chronic neuropathic and cancer-related pain.

However, a 2012 review of 15 studies suggested that patients receiving acupuncture alongside a pain medication reported significantly less cancer-related pain compared with those who only received analgesics.

These drugs are interesting because they may help alleviate neuropathic pain, but unfortunately they do nothing for most other types of pain, including arthritis, most cancer-related pain, and many other common pain problems," says Dr.

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